In March 2001, the I-95 Corridor Coalition approved funding for an electronic toll collection/electronic screening (ETC/E-Screening) Interoperability Pilot Project for regional interoperability between ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) and E-screening. The long-term goal was to provide a model for national interoperability of DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication Standards) applications. The project combined testing a single dual-mode DSRC transponder for both ETC and E-screening, and developing administrative and organizational structures to support interoperability beyond the Pilot Project. The Pilot Project's intent was to coordinate the Northeast's interoperable ETC program, E-ZPass, with the CVISN (Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks) E-screening deployments planned by Maryland and Connecticut. The Pilot Project was designed as a series of five incremental builds to incrementally establish functionality and address institutional and technical challenges that could potentially impact interoperability.

The Pilot Project successfully demonstrated the following: 1) Interoperable applications using a single transponder are both technically and institutionally feasible; 2) The CVISN model of electronic screening, where motor carriers are issued a transponder but not given a guarantee that simply having the transponder will result in a weigh station bypass, is both technically and operationally feasible; 3) The results of the mobility and efficiency tests demonstrate that interoperable applications do result in quantifiable benefits to the motor carrier industry; and 4) The application of ITS/CVO technologies and systems produces significant environmental benefits through reduced truck idling and emissions.

Lesson Learned

The experiences from the Electronic Toll Collection/Electronic Screening Interoperability Pilot Test project yielded some lessons learned on the need for process re-engineering.

Implement process re-engineering methods to support the deployment of new technologies and systems. The management structure established by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to oversee the ETC/E-screening deployment in Maryland included all the appropriate stakeholder groups, was led by a project manager, and included technical staff. Unfortunately, while the deployment was successfully completed, it does not appear that the process re-engineering needed to integrate E-screening into ongoing MdTA (Maryland Transportation Authority) and other State agency programs was fully successful. ETC for Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV), however, has been successfully integrated, as evidenced by the significant levels of market penetration and the processes by which MdTA has successfully addressed initial deployment problems.

With respect to E-screening, the process re-engineering should include the following:

Use established systems engineering processes. Given that the project was deployed as a Pilot Project, the E-screening system was not developed within the existing MDOT IT infrastructure and did not utilize the existing systems engineering processes established for the State. Although the intent was to bring on a third-party vendor to provide ongoing maintenance and support, the delays in state-wide deployment of E-screening resulted in this support being provided by MdTA IT staff that did not have adequate familiarity with the system.

Such systems development should be done using the existing processes and methodologies established for the deploying agency. This approach ensures that the system will be integrated with existing systems, and in turn, be included in technical and budget processes. This approach will also ensure that the appropriate documentation is developed to support long-term operations.

Conduct a human factors assessment. The system was not fully integrated into the daily work flow of the Perryville Weigh Station, and as a result, did not provide the anticipated level of benefit. It is critical that the deployment of such systems include a human factors assessment that integrates E-screening, or any new system, into the daily work processes of staff that will be using the system. This may include a re-design of consoles or workstations, training, or restructuring of work assignments. An assessment should be done to determine how to integrate a new activity such as E-screening with existing work activities and processes. Integrating the new activity workflow into the current daily workflow will help to maximize the benefits of new system.

Make changes to support the business model. While MdTA and MDOT provided full support to the project, the project did introduce a new business process (E-screening) to the agency that did not fit with the agency's existing business model. Introducing such a new program, in particular, one that requires an extensive level of budget and technical support, requires that senior management buy into the program, and that the necessary resources are allocated. It is also important to make the necessary operational changes needed to integrate a new program into the existing business model. Ensuring that the new system is integrated into the agency business processes will help to ensure that it is not deployed as a stand alone system.

The experiences from the electronic toll collection/electronic screening project demonstrated the importance of process re-engineering to support the deployment of new technologies and systems. By following accepted systems engineering and human factors engineering processes and techniques to support process re-engineering activities, the likelihood of successful ITS deployment will increase. Process re-engineering increases the productivity of ITS investments.

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